The night was quiet, the trees rustling as the wind swept through them. A man stood before a small house marked 003. With a single punch, he shattered the door and stepped inside. A glowing blade formed in his hand, radiating a powerful aura.
He had come to kill a prodigy—one destined to destroy the balance of the world. In this world, humans and animals lived alongside Fears, mysterious entities born from the deepest terrors of living beings. Some Fears were ranked higher than others, known as primal fears, and the prodigy was one of them—the Fear of the Undead.
The assassin himself was also a vessel of a Fear, known as the Fear of Thunder.
He kicked open the bedroom door, lightning crackling in his eyes—only to find the bed empty.
"Gotcha, buddy!" a voice shouted behind him.
Thunder turned sharply. A skinny man with a long, tangled beard stood there.
"I know you're here to kill him," the man said.
"I won't let you touch that boy."
"Where is he?" Thunder asked coldly.
"Oh, he's already go—"
Before he could finish, the katana sliced through his neck. Thunder caught the severed head and crushed it into fragments. Then, with a shimmer of electricity, he activated his teleportation ability and vanished into the shadows.
I ran as fast as I could, just like my stepfather told me to. My heart pounded, and fear twisted in my stomach. What happened back there? Was Dad okay? I forced myself not to think about it and sprinted toward a narrow alleyway. Only one flickering lamp hung above, leaving most of the alley in darkness. A pair of glowing eyes stared at me from the shadows—an owl perched silently.
Dad said someone was coming for me. He told me to run and not look back. I grabbed my backpack—stuffed with snacks, water, and a bottle of Coke—and escaped as fast as I could. But I still didn't understand why anyone would hunt a twelve-year-old like me.
Suddenly, a dark barrier rose around the alley, swallowing the light. Everything turned pitch-black. A cold shiver ran down my spine.
"Kael Draven," a deep voice echoed, "your father is dead."
"Who are you?" I shouted, my voice shaking.
An image formed within the darkness—my stepfather, being slaughtered by a man with a blade.
"NO… THIS CAN'T BE TRUE!" I screamed as despair crushed me.
"I can give you the power to kill the one who murdered him," the voice said."Do you accept?"
I clenched my fists, hatred burning through my chest. I would avenge Dad—no matter what.
My eyes burned bright red as the entity sensed the fury within me, and its power flowed into my body.